Pacers

Lets breakdown the important part of the trade. Oladipo just finished his 4th year in the NBA so I decided to compare the first 4 years of ‘Dipo and Paul George. They are certainly not the same player, but it is important to remember that Paul George was raw with talent in his first 4 years in the same way that Oladipo was. Upon comparison, ‘Dipo’s stats are eerily similar to Paul George’s. In fact they both had the exact same FG% (.434) and steals per game (1.5) over their first 4 years in the NBA.

In addition, Oladpio has improved his field goal % and 3 point % every single year since entering the NBA. While his points per game did take a small drop last season, one should expect that from anybody joining alongside ball-heavy Westbrook. Expect Oladipo to increase his scoring average considerably next season.

At 6’10, TJ Leaf will play power forward for the Pacers allowing Myles Turner to move the 5 position. This pick signifies that the Pacers are serious about transitioning to a smaller, faster team that can get up and down in transition. Larry Bird pushed for this transition in previous years but was unable to do so due to Paul George’s reluctance to play the PF position.

With his offensive efficiency, the Pacers brought in another player (ala Myles Turner) who can score but does not need the ball in his hands to score. Like Myles Turner, TJ has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time. Whether its back cuts, alley-oops, transition buckets, spot up jump shots, or offensive tip-ins – TJ just finds a way. Having this ability in Turner and Leaf allows the Pacers to bring in a more ball heavy player at guard in the future which should allow chemistry to develop.